A One Up!
by spacEnigma83
Summary: I had a request from a guest reader to write a James and Emma story. I'm sorry but there's no fluff here, not in the least. It is however some fun conversation. I'm attempting to show how James tries to initiate a relationship with his daughter. It's tricky. I had to cheat a little and let Snow lead him into it. It's crazy... the small things they have in common ;)
1. Chapter 1

A One Up!

Emma awoke to the sound of a quiet conversation taking place downstairs. At first it seemed like a dream as she forgot where she was. As she became more aware she remembered she was back home in the apartment in Storybrooke and soon recognized those voices to be James and Snow her very own fairytale parents.

She tried not to make too much noise as she sat up and settled in to eavesdrop.

"Well that's because she's spent all that time with you. I'm telling you Snow she hates me." James said.

"She doesn't hate you. She just doesn't know you."

"So that makes me more stranger than family. Snow... it's not fair. She's had all this extra time with you."

"I didn't even know she was my daughter at the time. I can't help that she found me first."

"Well... I feel left out, I really do, and the life we've been living... our cursed lives, well that didn't help me out at all here. She's only ever going to see me as David and all the memories I have of her when I thought I was David are not much to recount."

"James... don't beat yourself up about this. Giver her time. She'll come around."

"Really? I don't think so... If anything my cursed life as David has made her grow that much more closer to you. I mean all she's done since she got here is defend you, stand by you, and protect you. She's... she's your little carbon copy. She'd do anything for you because she's just like you. She's so much like you and I'm so... I'm so..."

"Jealous?" She tries not to grin as she says this but Snow genuinely finds his current behavior funny. "James... She doesn't love me any more than you. I mean how do you think I feel?"

"Wonderful I would imagine. Proud of yourself perhaps... I can tell you're thoroughly enjoying me act like a child right now."

"No no... James... listen to me." She smiles trying not to laugh, "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you." This comment gets her a pointed look. "I'm not! Look..." She walks over to stand in front of him as he sits in the stool. She puts her hands in his and finishes, "Our cursed lives were just that. I mean I'm almost having to start all over with her now. Everything she thought she knew about me was not me. It was part of the curse. I'm not Mary Margaret and while we'll be stuck having... _their_ memories... we have to take this new opportunity to get to know her as our daughter. If she really is just like me she'll come around. I'm sure of it."

"How are you so sure?"

"Well, believe it or not it's because of you. When Emma and I were back in our old world there was a moment where she seemed beyond hope. Do you know what I said to her? I said, if there is one thing I learned from your father it is to never give up."

"Huh... you really said that to her?" He said with an amazed expression on his face.

"Yeah, and it worked. All we had to do was believe in you and your hope and she was fine. I mean she was even trying to keep me focused towards the end there... I'll admit I lost it a little. I was too busy worrying about you being in a sleeping curse I lost focus but she took what I said about you and used it to hold me together."

"Really? Wow... I'm... flattered."

"Yeah, who's proud of himself now?" She says with a sly grin which quickly fades into a more somber expression. "Look... Emma is a part of our life no matter what. She's here now and I think if she planned on leaving us she would have done it by now. She wants this to work. She wants us to be a family. As strange as all this may be to her she still wants that."

"I guess you're right."

"You know I'm right... there should be no guessing." She smiles fully. "Do you know what I find funny about all this?"

"No... what?"

"That while you think she is just like me I have found many tell tale signs that she is just like you."

"Like what?"

"Oh... no Charming..." She says in a singsong voice. "I will let you come to that conclusion yourself. I would hate to spoil the surprise or miss the look of utter shock when it hits you."

"If... that ever happens." He says slumping in defeat.

"It will. Now, I'm off to Granny's, I promised to have lunch with Red. She'll be waiting for me. Emma should be getting up soon... I don't think I've ever known her to sleep _this_ late. You actually might want to check on her in a bit."

"And what would I say exactly... Um... Emma... sweetheart... do you want to wake up and go get some ice cream with Daddy?" He says with the most ridiculous expression on his face.

"Can I just have some coffee instead?" Emma asks groggily from the bottom of the stairs startling both Snow and James to a stand.

"Oh... Good Morning Emma. We... didn't see you." James says suddenly feeling worried they were overheard. Throwing a fleeting glance at Snow.

"You weren't listening to us just then were you?" Snow asks as she catches Emma's gaze.

Not willing to own up to her eavesdropping just yet she plays it off rather well with a, "Why? Were you guys... Flirting? I _definitely_ do not need to hear that this early in the morning."

The thought only caused Snow to blush. She lets out a quick gasp before saying, "No, we were just talking. Are you feeling alright? You've been in bed most of the morning already."

"It's my first Sunday off in a while... I was just enjoying the quiet I guess. I'm fine." She says as she shrugs her shoulders.

"Are you hungry? We had some breakfast left over or I can stay and make you some lunch?" Snow offered.

"No no... you go on. I'll make something for myself. I need to shower first anyhow."

"Okay well I'm off to meet Red. I'll be back in a bit. " She offered before pressing a quick kiss to James' cheek and squeezing Emma's arm as she passed her on the way out the door.

Silence fell upon the room. Emma stood there with her arms clasped behind her back uncertain what to say at the moment. James, who sat back down in the stool at the counter, twiddled his thumbs and held his breath.

When he finally opens his mouth to speak and before he can say a word Emma suddenly blurts out, "I'm gonna jump in the shower". Throwing her thumbs in the general direction of the bathroom she starts to walk away.

"So do you really want some coffee? I can start a pot if you like?" He says with nothing but hope in his voice.

She stops suddenly and gives a quick look over her shoulder, "Uh, yeah... thanks."

He flashes her a smile and she stops herself from smiling back.

"_Coffee with James is probably going to be something like Cocoa with Mary Margaret pre curse breaking." _

She had yet to sit down and have Cocoa with Snow so in a way this might make up for the way James has been feeling. Something he could hold over Snow later, "_Sort of like a one up"_. She thinks as she smiles to herself.

She heads on to have her shower and when she comes out dressed and ready he's setting down a mug at the kitchen table with this sort of expectant look on his face.

"Yup... definitely going to be like a Cocoa session." She says under her breathe.

"What was that?" James asks.

"Um... nothing... " She says with a quick shake of her head.

He pulls out a chair for her and she accepts the invitation to sit down. He then walks over to sit across from her with his own mug of coffee.

The silence settles in once again. They each take a few sips of coffee from their respectable mugs and set them down. It seems to happen in a pattern. She takes a sip. He watches. She sets her mug down. He picks his up, all very timed, and uncomfortable until finally James gets the nerve to try and start some sort of conversation. "Soooo..." he says drawing out the word hoping it will give weigh to something more meaningful.

"I don't hate you." She suddenly blurts without looking him in the eye.

"Wha... What?" He stuttered seemingly caught off guard.

"I don't hate you. I could never hate you." She says sitting up straighter in her chair pulling her hands to rest on her lap under the table.

"Ah, so... you did hear us." He says leaning back against the chair running a hand over his forehead. "I... how much did you hear?"

"Enough to be able to come up with an... I _don't_ hate you." She grins.

"I don't know exactly what you heard but I'm sorry you caught all of that. I was just frustrated. I can't help but feel... you know... jealous of your relationship with your Mo..."

"Mary Margaret!" She yells in panic. "Or Snow... just don't call her... you know". She says more calmly.

Smiling he continues. "Yeah well... she is your Moth..."

"Nope... not ready." Defiance clearly written on her face.

He gives her a nod and sits up in his chair. "Emma, I just... I need you to know that I want this to work for all of us. I know you are... not ready... but when you are well I'll be here for you."

"I know and honestly... you have nothing to be jealous of. She was right. We are having to start all over. I mean Henry and I didn't wake up to a new reality like you and Snow did. The curse was broken and my reality was the same only now the people in it became something else. Now there's magic. Now I have parents and now... now I have a son."

"He's great by the way."

"Yeah... and I'm jealous of you having spent so much time with him. How's that for irony?" She says smiling. "He is pretty great but I can't take any credit for that. He's done so much on his own. He brought me here. He fought to convince me to believe in... well... everything. Now we're all together and we have to figure things out. We have to make this work. We have to be a family."

"We have to? When did you become so..."

"Fierce? I must get it from my parents." He laughs at this watching her roll her eyes before a smile grows on her face.

The happy moment turns more serious as she presses on. "I'm not gonna lie, I don't trust many people, and I rarely trust men enough to let them into my life. You were right when you thought that David's life was reason for me not to trust you. I just don't hate you because of that. I know that part of the curse was losing your happy ending and I was trying hard to protect Mary Margaret from... well not from you... from David."

She gives him a look to see if he is understanding her before continuing, "For this to work... for us to be a family we're going to have to let go of David and Mary Margaret, which trust me I know is hard, but it's something we're all going to have to learn to do. I mean... I let Mary Margaret in and I'll have to deal with letting that part of her go but I also have this chance to let Snow in and be my... well.. you know. The same goes for you."

There is another long moment of silences as Emma gets up to walk over to set her coffee mug in the sink. She comes back to stand next to the kitchen table and face James. "I didn't have any sort of relationship with David but he's not here. Right now sitting at this table is James and I trust him more than I should trust any man. He's done nothing but fight for the safety of my family... _our_ family."

James sits there thinking things over. It was huge that Emma was willing to come out and be direct with him. He didn't really have much to add for arguments sake. He sat there in silence and noticed her eyes on him. He smiled weakly to let her know he had heard her at least. When he started to feel like Emma was walking away to leave he stood from his chair, "Do you want to maybe go get something to eat?"

"Um... sure... but I don't want Snow to feel like we're crashing her lunch date with Red if we show up at Granny's."

"No... it'll be fine. That way when she sees us walk in together I'll have something to hold over her... sort of like a one up."

Emma laughs, "A one up?".

"Yeah... you know... make her jealous if I sort of outdo her?"

"I know what a one up is... I'm just shocked that... never mind." She laughs it off. Should she push it and tell James that Snow was right and she was more like him than they both thought? "_Maybe I'll tell him about it on the way to Granny's."_

Either way... this was a good start.


	2. Chapter 2

Here they were, James and Emma walking down the sidewalk together heading to Granny's Diner. They opted to walk rather than drive to sort of give each other more space rather than be cooped up in a car with that more awkward form of silence but seeing as how they were both looking in opposite directions as they walked along this trip seems to have ended up much the same.

Emma couldn't help but giggle to herself at the discomfort.

"What's so funny?" James finally asks looking to her with a grin.

"This... walking... the silence... It's feels..." she shrugs.

"Awkward? Yes well... you're not alone there. What does one do on a walk to keep things normal?"

"Talk... but you know this is pretty normal for me. I mean... I don't normally share my feelings or speak on whatever is running through my mind. I am normally quiet. I guess it's just weird that you are the same way and then it makes the both of us feel awkward when we are together."

"I hate when your... when Snow is right. She knew this might happen. That I would find similarities between us. Funny though how you are the one pointing them out to me." He smiles as they walk along.

She laughs and says, "You don't even know the half of it."

"I guess the things you have in common with Snow are more obvious to me than what you have in common with me because I don't get to observe myself... you know?"

"Well... I can't see much of anything until you both say or do something familiar and very little is familiar these days. Mary Margaret was this sweet hopeless romantic school teacher. She was always afraid of hurting people's feelings and she always cared what people thought of her. That's how I interpreted her character at least. Now she's this Fairy Tale Princess who can sling an arrow and swing a sword. She took down an Ogre and wrestled a famous warrior to the ground. It was like a complete one eighty. I watched her in your old land and I was beyond baffled how this was the same person."

"Yes well... I have to say I liked her better as Mary Margaret. At least I knew she wouldn't beat me over the head if I disagreed with her." He laughs.

"Yeah, I keep forgetting you're both different now. I mean David was always doubtful. He didn't make the right decisions... well... ever. He let too many people influence him but as James you are totally assertive. You form a plan and you follow through. It's definitely different."

"Hey! I can swing a mean sword too you know. You didn't bother to mention that."

"Like I said," She grins and gesture with empty hands, "I haven't seen you in action. Speaking of swords... I used or should I say I wielded your sword."

"When?" He asks.

"Before I broke the curse. When Gold and Regina got it in my head that this... Potion... they had locked away was going to revive Henry from the sleeping curse he was under they sent me on a quest to get it. Before I left his shop Gold brought out the case with your sword in it."

"Wait... what quest? Where did you go looking for this potion." James asks grabbing Emma's arm to stop her from walking.

"I had to battle a dragon hidden away under the old library." Emma says shaking her head almost as if she couldn't believe the words were coming from her own mouth.

" No... Maleficent?" he gasps and suddenly there is a huge grin on his face. "Do you even know how the potion got put in that dragon in the first place?"

"Um... no... Why? Should I?" She asks confused.

"I put it there." He says with a cocky smile as he continues walking leaving Emma in a bit of a stunned state.

She finally comes to and smiles before running to catch up with him just outside Granny's Diner. "No way." She says as he pulls the door open for her.

"Way." He says as he puts a hand to the small of her back to usher her in. He instantly searches out Snow with his eyes hoping to catch the expression on her face when she sees them together.

Emma also looks around before taking a seat in a booth at the front of the diner being sure to face the door.

James finds Snow and Ruby sitting at a table in the back. They both stop talking mid conversation each giving James a rather questioning look. He only smiles a toothy smile and takes a seat across from Emma.

"I gather that the One Up worked?" Emma says with a tilt of her head and a small grin.

"Indeed it did. Thanks." He says reaching across the table to take her hand and squeeze it. "I don't care if you are your Mother's girl, I just enjoyed my Daddy's girl moment."

Emma covers her face slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, well now you owe me lunch and a Dragon story... so pay up Pops."

He proceeds to tell the story of how he went up against Maleficent and Ruby eventually makes her way over to take their order. He laughs exaggeratedly and smiles brightly during this epic tale all the while stealing glances at Snow noting the puzzlement and slight tinge of jealousy in her eyes.

_Oh yes, this was definitely a One Up._

_****_**Sorry that was short but hey... I wanted to try and give a little more here because I appreciate the comments and follows I got. Thanks. Hope I didn't ruin it for ya. :)**


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